January 26, 2021
Doors for first new community hospital in 30 years to open at Vaughan Hospital

The Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital doors will be open on February 7, 2021, the first newly built hospital in Ontario in more than 30 years. The facility will initially operate as a systemwide resource providing 35 critical care and 150 general medicine beds for non-critical patients from other hospitals and easing COVID-19 capacity pressures.

Some of the features at the new building include:

  • A state-of-the-art emergency department
  • Modern surgical services and operating rooms
  • Advanced diagnostic imaging
  • Specialized ambulatory clinics and intensive care beds
  • Approximately 90 per cent single occupancy acute-care patient rooms for infection prevention and control
  • Integrated “smart” digital technology systems that deliver the right information, to the right care location, at the right time, to enhance the patient care experience

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Mackenzie Health (MH) selected Plenary Health in August 2016 after extensive evaluations following a request for proposals process that began in June 2015.

The Plenary Health team includes:

  • Developer: Plenary Group (Canada) Ltd.
  • Design: Stantec Architecture Ltd.
  • Design Builder: PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
  • Facilities management: Johnson Controls Canada LP
  • Financial Advisor: Plenary Group (Canada) Ltd.


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The impact of COVID 19 on surety bonding

The ability to adapt and change on the fly was a key component of any successful strategy for a construction company in 2020. What began as a very promising year, quickly became one filled with uncertainty as job sites closed and offices shuttered with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, our industry quickly found its footing by early May as construction’s designation as an essential industry was solidified.

As we enter 2021, we are seeing a resurgence in cases, fresh lockdowns and additional uncertainty as plans to roll out vaccines remain murky. For banks and surety companies the impact of the first round of shut-downs is only now becoming clear as contractors provide financial reporting for the 2020 year. This has left the surety industry nervous of the potential impacts even without the news of fresh lockdowns heading into 2021.


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Sprung instant structures and the fight against COVID-19

In late 2019 to early 2020, COVID-19 took the world by surprise. It disrupted how people do business worldwide. Responding to the pandemic has opened doors for all businesses and industries (including the construction industry, consultants, and constructors) to be creative in their responses to new challenges.

The planning, design, and construction of hospital facilities normally take years. However, the pandemic presented a unique challenge where solutions had to be conceived and implemented within months. 

As of June 2020, four temporary facilities have been completed: the Joseph Brant Hospital, (Burlington, Ont.), Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (Barrie, Ont.), Trillium Health Partners (Mississauga, Ont.), and Peter Lougheed Centre (Calgary, Alta).

The industries’ responses to COVID-19 demonstrated that, despite challenges, large hospital facilities can be constructed in days, not years.


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CFIB raises estimate of small businesses at risk of closing permanently

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is raising its estimate for the number of businesses that are considering closing permanently.

The organization says one in six or about 181,000 Canadian small business owners are seriously contemplating permanently closing, based on a survey of its members done last week.

Based on the forecast it says that means more than 2.4 million jobs are at risk.

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Click here, to view the Small Business Recovery Dashboard.

Ontario Supports the Development of the Next Generation of PPE

The Ontario government is providing more than $2.3 million to McMaster University and the University of Toronto through the Ontario Together Fund to carry out research, development and testing of the next generation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Ontario is investing $1,122,000 in the University of Toronto to support its Dalla Lana School of Public Health's testing facility as it ramps up filtration efficiency testing of N95, surgical and procedure masks to ensure that they meet Health Canada Personal Protective Equipment requirements.

Through the Ontario Together Fund, the government is delivering targeted investments that will increase the province's stockpile of made-in-Ontario products and PPE. This new manufacturing and research capacity will help the province to combat the current COVID-19 outbreak and prepare for potential challenges in the future, while supporting local businesses during the safe and gradual reopening of the province.  


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TCA Resources on COVID-19

To access TCA dedicated Covid-19 Updates, click here.